We Thought We Were Safe… Smartphone Pics on Social Media can be Dangerous

Being a conspiracy theory fiction writer, you can imagine how difficult it is living with me.  My saying is this:

It’s hard to live with a thriller writer because we’re always imagining the worst case scenario.

But in the case of this news report (see video below), a little paranoia can be good.

As soon as I saw the Geo-tagging feature on my smartphone a few years ago, I said, “Nope, not going to happen.” I post plenty of pictures on social media, but I don’t want people having GPS coordinates of where they were taken. There are a lot of people out there on the internet looking for just that. Why supply them?

This is my philosophy: Always use caution, as long as it doesn’t cost you too much in terms of  freedom and lifestyle. If taking a precaution only costs a little bit of effort but the potential danger is significant, just do it.

Here’s the news report:

If you have an Android device, here’s where you can turn the function off. (Your camera settings.)

Has any of your paranoia turned out to be a valid concern? Have you refrained from saying, “I told you so,” or reminded them of how they thought you were being too picky about the issue? I’d love to hear from you, please reply in the comments section at the end of this post.

Joshua Graham is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, winner of the International Book Award and Forward National Literature Award. His thrillers include DARKROOM, LATENT IMAGE and BEYOND JUSTICE, and TERMINUS. Graham's works have been characterized as thought-provoking page-turners.

Legal Notice: All information on this website and blog are from Mr. Graham's personal experience and insight and should not be viewed in any way, directly or inferred, as qualified professional advice.

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